Spectator's Notebook
Since then it's become increasingly clear that Mr Wilson's surrender was total. The latest and most shameful concession to have emerged is over the liner trains. British Railways have con- sistently maintained that the liner train project would only pay if private hauliers had access to the railway terminals. This was accepted, against strong NUR opposition, by the Labour govern- ment and its first transport minister, Mr Tom Fraser. But in the House of Commons last week his successor, Mrs Barbara Castle, revealed a complete volte-face.
Instead of opening the terminals to private hauliers, British Railways is to expand its own fleet of heavy wagons. Until this expansion is complete, the NUR—and Mrs Castle incredibly feels that we should be grateful for this—will graciously permit British Railways to hire cart- age to fill the gap. Financial solvency and custo- mers' convenience, in other words, are to be sacrificed for good on the altar of monopoly and the closed shop. So much for the Prices and In- comes Board's finding that a general increase in railwaymen's pay could only be justified in return for the dropping of restrictive practices. How the poor seamen must be wishing that they were in a nationalised industry, too.
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